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Kid collared for GBA infraction

Mom takes tough love far, has son arrested for opening Christmas present early.

A 12-year-old boy in Rock Hill, South Carolina, just couldn't wait for Santa to deliver presents this year. According to the local paper, the child unwrapped and opened a present containing a new Game Boy Advance this past weekend--fully three weeks before Christmas. When the young boy's mother found out, she called the police and told them to arrest her son. The boy at first denied all knowledge of the missing portable but later returned it to his mother after she threatened to call authorities. The mother then called the police anyway, and when they arrived at her home, the boy was arrested and taken to the local police station.

The boy was charged with petty larceny, but because he is a juvenile, he did not have to spend time in jail.

The boy's great-grandmother bought him the handheld as a Christmas gift and left it under the family's Christmas tree with specific instructions not to open until the 25th. "He took it without permission. He wanted it. He just took it," the great-grandmother told The Rock Hill Herald.

The mother defended her actions, telling the paper she had her son arrested because she was trying to help her son, who she said has a history of behavioral problems, including a previous arrest for disorderly conduct. "He's the type of kid who doesn't believe anything until it happens," she said.

372 Comments

  • Blaketoberfest

    Posted Sep 30, 2010 4:01 pm GMT

    ...Wow, that's shocking...

  • PhatRatIsBack

    Posted Dec 29, 2006 5:07 am GMT

    Tis' the season to be jailed...

  • PhoenixWright2

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 6:39 pm GMT

    The kid also got arrested for disorderly conduct lol. This news story made my day. kinda reminds me of the time this kid left to the neiborhood next door to mine and everyone was looking for him and then the mom calls the police. priceless lol!!! only in the carolinas (which i live in for some reason..... )

  • SUB-ZERO999

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 3:09 pm GMT

    VERY VERY OLD, THIS WAS ONLY ON IGN ABOUT A MONTH AGO

  • johnnyv2003

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:21 am GMT

    well that's one way to teach your kid a lesson....should arrest the grandma for getting him a GBA instead of a DS though

  • kitling89

    Posted Dec 17, 2006 6:35 pm GMT

    Why was this written by a UK correspondent?

  • Egar

    Posted Dec 17, 2006 6:27 pm GMT

    Don't believe everything you read.

  • _Sam_

    Posted Dec 17, 2006 3:52 pm GMT

    I think that the mom should be arrested. She wasted the police's time

  • arjun180

    Posted Dec 17, 2006 11:56 am GMT

    Hehheh...serves the kid right, and how old are you ChargeMan1991?

  • ChargeMan1991

    Posted Dec 17, 2006 5:49 am GMT

    Stop saying mean stuff about the kid. You guys should really know better!

  • manwithnoplan91

    Posted Dec 16, 2006 12:40 pm GMT

    WOW Only in my state huh? Geez do I have to get away from this hell hole. What a bad mom.

  • Jah_Glow

    Posted Dec 16, 2006 12:38 pm GMT

    HAHAHAHAHA... I so hope he learned from this, little punk.

  • MgunHunter

    Posted Dec 15, 2006 9:15 pm GMT

    Yeesh, talk about harsh. That kid will probably be scarred for life now.

  • VGobbsesser

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 3:27 pm GMT

    Wow,I can't believe someone would call the police on their 12 year old son and have them arrested just because they opened thei Christmas gift early.....

  • cheeseman777

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 10:04 pm GMT

    Nice to know the american tax payers money is being put to good use

  • senbonzakura1

    Posted Dec 11, 2006 10:14 am GMT

    WTF!?!?!?!?!?

  • singsorrow

    Posted Dec 10, 2006 9:01 pm GMT

    Wow, what a great family. *sarcasm*

  • hyrueprince11

    Posted Dec 10, 2006 7:15 pm GMT

    that´s crazy

  • datniccah187

    Posted Dec 10, 2006 2:56 am GMT

    Thats right get em' officer lol

  • Shadowdude530

    Posted Dec 9, 2006 8:39 pm GMT

    all i can say is wtf if they new he had "behaviral problems" y not just hide the ****

  • DV8Sharkey

    Posted Dec 9, 2006 7:23 pm GMT

    It's the grandma that should get thrown in jail for buying a gba, get with the times lady.

  • MZist3h1337

    Posted Dec 9, 2006 9:45 am GMT

    Lol, i dont know whats weirder, the mom having her son arrested for opening his GBA before christmas, or the fact that someone still wants a GBA for christmas.

  • 1Tasty_Bone

    Posted Dec 9, 2006 9:09 am GMT

    That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! The gift was for the boy...so how could he be guilty of larceny...ESPECIALLY IF IT WAS IN HIS OWN HOME!??!

    Maybe the mom needs to be arrested for filing a false police report!

  • kingblackdahlia

    Posted Dec 9, 2006 12:52 am GMT

    Ughhh. That's why nobody understands Americans

  • yuginodo

    Posted Dec 8, 2006 10:37 pm GMT

    That's hilarious!

  • garrett_duffman

    Posted Dec 8, 2006 8:06 pm GMT

    thats freaking awesome!!! i cant wait till i can do that to my son in the future when i have a son

  • Relys

    Posted Dec 8, 2006 6:06 pm GMT

    Jesus what a b|tch!

  • GKBeetle

    Posted Dec 8, 2006 11:44 am GMT

    I like the mother's idea here. You can get arrested if you try to discipine your child yourself anymore. You can't even spank your own child or you get hauled in for negligence. If the government won't let you discipline your child, make the government do it for you by having them arrest your child. I think this is awesome!

  • mikedude_01

    Posted Dec 8, 2006 9:51 am GMT

    @faridmon
    1) That's just your opinion. The mom and grandmother thought it was a major thing.
    2) The mother explained why she called the cops. Read the freakin' article.
    3) There was a reason to arrest the kid. It's the cop's job to arrest him.
    4) Most American families put their Christmas trees up after Thanksgiving.
    5) You have a point with this one.

  • faridmon

    Posted Dec 8, 2006 7:19 am GMT

    what a crazy news
    1- its not a major thing to open a gift befor cheistmess, you can just tell the kid "no gift for you ths year"
    2- why would call the cop? just for just opening a small gift?
    3- and the cop who was happy enough to arrest the kid, whats the deal with that?
    4 -and i thought the christmass is 3 week away, why woulkd u put a gift under the tree before 3 weeks? heck, why would you have the tree itself around this time?
    5- and all that just for a GBA, a freakking GBA, its not even a DSLite or a PSP, all of the greediness came from a 2001 handheld that sucked at that time, no internal light just playing dark................... a GBA
    now i don't even know why my cousine live there in America

  • ClaudeLv250

    Posted Dec 8, 2006 12:06 am GMT

    You know you suck at parenting when your solution to kids getting into christmas presents early it to have them arrested.

  • monkkito

    Posted Dec 8, 2006 12:00 am GMT

    apple_of_doom
    "what the heck? this is just stupid. outrageous. what is the world coming too?
    why would anyone by their son a GBA... honestly...."
    LMAO

  • nicktulloch

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 11:02 pm GMT

    "Mommyyy WHERES MY GAMEBOY!" Possiblty the funniest image of 2006. Nice one mate.

  • santiagochile

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 9:47 pm GMT

    Old news, keep hitting the refresh button at IGN to bring us week-old news!

  • Crybabylover

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 7:44 pm GMT

    She should be ashamed for even calling herself a mother. What kind of mother arrests HER OWN child? I couldn't believe my eyes.

  • Stammalamma

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 7:24 pm GMT

    Who the hell still buys a Game Boy Advance? If I was the kid, I'd call the police and have the grandma's lame @$$ arrested.

  • Uchiha_madara

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 7:02 pm GMT

    LMAO
    quote"master_shan99"
    decilling---
    i bet the kid was pissed when he found that gameboy advance....

    I can see how this goes...

    "Game..Boy...Advance...?! WTF?! I Wanted a DS!!!111" -------------------------------------------------------------------
    OMFG
    make sence

  • gamerjack12

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 6:04 pm GMT

    the mom is a pathetic loser.

  • Brian_WCU

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 4:57 pm GMT

    amazing, absoulutely amazing. I can understand it I guess if the kid has authority issues, but the mom needs help as well.

  • puppiemaster

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 3:53 pm GMT

    JOSPORTSO wrote
    I've openrd a present 1 month early (well, i found it and used it) a couple of years ago, and my mum was just dissapointed that the surprise was gone (it was my SP in 2003)

    Call the police, no way, would have been a dark alley baseball bat and a couple of broken knees.

    Parents are too easy on kids today.

  • puppiemaster

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 3:50 pm GMT

    American kids are so stupid, I should know I've seen Roswell, Buffy and 90210

  • ActivistBike

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 3:46 pm GMT

    wow........wtf

  • zeroking420_666

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 3:26 pm GMT

    lol wow that mean for the mom to sue her son for opening a gift early

  • Zifhael

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 2:14 pm GMT

    hmm...no comment here...the story says it all...

  • BgBlyStyle

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 2:02 pm GMT

    i have to side with the mother on this one. if the kid won't listen to anything she says, and does what he wants to anyway, you gotta do what ya gotta do. bet the next time she tells him something, he'll listen.

  • master_shan99

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 1:04 pm GMT

    decilling---
    i bet the kid was pissed when he found that gameboy advance....


    I can see how this goes...

    "Game..Boy...Advance...?! WTF?! I Wanted a DS!!!111"

  • decilling

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 12:12 pm GMT

    i bet the kid was pissed when he found that gameboy advance....

  • Nawras

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 11:46 am GMT

    erm... wth

  • eggsiboss

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 11:37 am GMT

    ONLY IN AMERICA! LOL! sue me sue you hey sue everybody

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